


and all will be alright in time

by karenninaaa



Series: IronDad Bingo [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen, Iron Dad & Spider-Son, Tony Stark Has A Heart, a universe where he was alive because that was canon for me, alternate ending of endgame where everyone was happy, i don't know how to tag anymore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-14
Updated: 2020-04-14
Packaged: 2021-03-01 16:40:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23650225
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/karenninaaa/pseuds/karenninaaa
Summary: Tony Stark survived the final battle against Thanos, but Peter was still scared. A girl thought that candy would make his fears disappear.Iron dad bingo: Baby Stark
Relationships: Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Series: IronDad Bingo [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1329648
Comments: 5
Kudos: 81





	and all will be alright in time

**Author's Note:**

> i've been reorganizing my folders and I found this that was collecting dust and hidden in another folder of another folder of another folder - you get it. So I decided that this poor thing needed to be out in the sunlight and be seen by human eyes.
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> unbeta-ed chapter

Peter sat on the cold tiled floor of the hallway of a hospital. The hallway was empty and the strong scent of antiseptic wafted in the air. Peter lost track of how long he was in that position. It could have been minutes or hours. He didn’t quite remember anymore. The moment the doctors had said that Mr. Stark was not in critical condition anymore, Peter’s feet had started to drag him away, away from Miss Potts –no, Mrs. Stark now and Mr. Rhodes, who was visibly worn out from the battle against Thanos, and his armies earlier.

He wore a white t-shirt and gray sweatpants and a hoodie. He also could not remember who had given the clothes to him. Because it seemed like his brain was still filled with the adrenaline rush of the battle, of saving Earth and of surviving through. Everything felt like a blur. It felt like everything was moving in a fast forward motion and he was the only one who had remained in a standstill. 

He had been staring at that single white tiled floor and all he could think about was Mr. Stark almost dying. _Almost_. His brain had chosen that moment to keep on replaying in his head. Mr. Stark who had been still as a statue, who hadn’t been responding, and whose heart had almost given up on beating.

Then the arc reactor shut off. The light had vanished and there was this terrible and dead silence that hit them like an invisible wave. It had knocked the breath out of Peter. It had been the longest awful one second of his life. Then there was a portal and Mr. Strange. Mr. Stark had been wheeled into the Operating Room with Dr. Strange in tow.

Then there was the good news.

Yes. Good news, something to be delighted about. But why Peter couldn’t bring himself to smile and instead tears were continuously falling from his eyes. He hugged his knees more tightly as he buried his face at the crook of his elbow.

Don’t get him wrong, it was a huge relief for him that Mr. Stark was alive. It truly was. The tears were for his own heart that constricted and squeezed at the mental image of Mr. Stark who had been willing to give everything he got for the universe even if it meant was the expense of his life.

Mr. Stark, who in a short amount of time had been a huge part in shaping who he should be as an Avenger, Mr. Stark who had filled the gaps of his days. Mr. Stark whom he had looked up to, Mr. Stark who had helped him with the relativistic mass-energy equation. And the thing was the thought that there would be no Mr. Stark in a new world that had been successfully saved, was a scary scary thought.

That was probably the tears were also for.

That he needed to dispense all those scary thoughts so he could finally smile.

“Do you want candy?”

Peter froze. He slowly lifted his head. A girl probably no older than 6 was standing in front of her. He wore a pink floral dress and a brown leather jacket partnered with black ankle boots. She had dark brown hair that reached her shoulder. Her brown eyes blinked at him. Though, there was something familiar with her eyes.

Peter blinked back and sniffed. “W-what?”

The girl played with her hair. “Well, my dad always offers me candy when I cried. It’s effective. It makes me stop crying immediately. Also, it makes me feel better. Though, I don’t think mom likes that dad always gives me candy.”

The corner of Peter’s mouth tugged, forming a little smile. He cleared his throat. “Well, do you have candy?”

She fished out something in the pockets of her leather jacket. She extended her hand to him holding a wrapped candy. “I was saving it for later but it’s okay. You can have it.”

“Are you sure?” Peter asked.

She nodded. 

Gingerly, Peter accepted the candy. She stared at him expectantly, waiting for him to open up the candy. So Peter did. He tore the wrapper and popped the candy into his mouth. It was a lemon flavor.

“Well?” She tilted her head at him

Peter smiled. The candy reminded him of the candies that Mr. Stark had in a glass jar in the corner of his lab. It was comforting. “You’re right. It’s effective.”

“And you stopped crying too.” She noted.

Peter chuckled. “Did your dad give you this candy too?”

“No my mom did before she had left earlier.” She sat Indian style beside him. “She said she had some business she needed to attend to. I wanted to come because sometimes she let me come with her. But she said that children were not allowed to be there.”

“Why are you here anyway?” He shifted in his position to give the girl more space to sit.

“My dad’s here.” It was her only answer as she drew circles with her small index finger on the floor.

“Oh,” Peter didn’t want to pry. The little girl frowned. He didn’t want to upset the kid even more.

“Why are you crying earlier?” She looked up at him.

Peter tried to find the right words. He spoke after a moment. “I was scared.”

“Do you want a hug?” She asked.

Peter couldn’t help but smile again.

“Mom and Dad always give me a hug when I was scared. Do you want one? It will make you better too.”

God, this kid was so adorable. Peter couldn’t help but mentally gushed. Instead of speaking, he spread his arms wide.

She beamed at him and stood up. She bent down a bit and wrapped her chubby tiny arms around his shoulder. She gently tapped his back. She spoke. Her voice was oddly soothing. “It’s alright. You’re going to be okay soon.”

Peter’s face crumbled right then. Involuntarily, his body shook when another sob escaped his lips. Then there were tears again.

“It’s okay.” This time, the girl rubbed his back. “It’s going to be alright now.”

Another strange thing was, the little girl’s words were like warm water washing over him. His taut shoulders started to loosen up. He started to deflate like a balloon in her little arms. He let himself entertain the idea that the nightmare was over because they had defeated the bad guys and the aliens. They won the battle. He released the breath he didn’t know he had been holding.

Peter pulled away from him sniffing again. His eyes were red and puffy. “Where did you learn that?”

Her brows knitted together. “Learn what?”

“Those words. How did you know how to comfort someone?”

“That’s what mom and dad always say and does when I’m upset and scared. It worked like magic, didn’t it?” She grinned at him.

“Your parents are lucky to have you,” Peter said softly.

“And I love them, three thousand.” She raised her three fingers for emphasis.

“Morgan!”

There was a male voice in the hallway somewhere in the distance.

“Oops. That’s me.” She sucked her thumb. “I should go. Bye-bye.” She waved her hand at him as she stepped back.

“Bye, bye.” Peter also waved his hand at her. “And Morgan, thank you.” He smiled earnestly at her as she continued to step back. “Look where you’re going, you might trip!” He pointed out.

She only giggled. “You’re welcome, Peter.” She then rounded the corner and disappeared.

“Yeah-” He froze. “Wait, _what?_ How did she know my name?”

He sprang from his seat and ran to the corner where the kid had gone to. But the hallway was empty as if no single soul had been there a while back.

“W-what the fu-“

Later that morning, it was one of the best times of Peter’s life because Mr. Stark had woken up. He was bouncing on his heels as he walked to Mr. Stark’s room together with aunt May. He held a bouquet. They stopped in front of Mr. Stark’s room. There was a muffled voice inside then followed by laughter. Peter grinned. He knocked and opened the door.

He stepped inside. “Mr. Stark-!”

He froze on the spot. Mr. Stark was truly awake as he beamed at him as if nothing life-threatening had happened earlier at the break of dawn, as if they hadn’t gone to a battle and fight for their lives. The upper part of his bed was reclined up so he was in a half-sitting position. The burn on the right side of Mr. Stark’s face was still fresh. There was a red bionic arm where his right arm used to be. The prosthetics were glinting under the pale fluorescent light. 

However, what made Peter freeze was the kid who snuggled beside Mr. Stark. His good left arm was wrapped around her. She was now looking shyly at him.

“You-” He pointed wide-eyed at the girl.

The girl only giggled as she snuggled closer to Mr. Stark’s chest.

“Oh, you’ve already met Morgan?” Mr. Stark’s eyes lit up.

“Y-yeah. . .” Peter answered slowly. “W-who is she again?”

Mr. Stark looked around to the people in the room. Pepper, Happy and Rhodey was there. “No one bothered to tell him that she’s my daughter?”

“Daughter.” Peter echoed.

“In our defense boss,” Happy said. “We didn’t know that they have already met.”

Morgan looked up at his dad. “I gave him a candy daddy because he was crying.”

“Oh,” Mr. Stark’s gaze fell on Peter.

“Sweetie,” Pepper called Morgan. “Come on, let’s buy some cheeseburgers for dad.”

“Cheeseburgers!” Morgan gasped dramatically as she sat up abruptly. She immediately hopped down the bed. 

“God, you’re as bad as your dad,” Rhodey muttered.

“I heard that.” Tony pointed out. “And I take that as a compliment.”

Soon, Tony and Peter were left in the room as if their company had an unspoken agreement to give the two some alone time.

Peter remained on the same spot he had been when he had first entered.

“What? You’re going to make me come to you?” Tony asked. “As you can see I’m quite indisposed as of this moment. Come here, squirt.”

Peter stiffly walked towards him. He sat on the vacant seat next to Mr. Stark’s bed. Peter needed to sit. He looked down at the flowers on his lap.

He knew without looking that Mr. Stark was staring at him.

“I’m glad you’re back.”

“Me too,” Peter mumbled.

“Pete, look at me.” Mr. Stark said pleadingly. “I still couldn’t believe that everyone who had been dusted was back. I need some validation that you’re here.”

Peter looked up at him.

Mr. Stark smiled. “There you go. You’re here.”

“Don’t scare me like that ever again,” Peter said.

Mr. Stark raised an eyebrow at the hardness on Peter’s voice.

“You almost died.” He choked out.

“That’s part of my job.” Mr. Stark said.

“Then just retire already,” Peter said. 

“Oh, I plan on it. Besides, I have to take Morgan to school because Pep will probably be busy being the boss lady of the company.”

“I can’t believe you already have a daughter. “Peter said disbelievingly combing his hair with his hand. “It’s kinda hard to believe that years had already passed in here when it felt like a blink to me.”

“You’ll get used to it.” Mr. Stark assured him. He was looking softly at him. His eyes were bright, the side of his eyes crinkled. He had more white hair than Peter had remembered.

“Mr. Stark. . .” Peter swallowed. “Is everything going to be alright now?”

“Let’s allow ourselves to think that yes, it will be. Our world is messy but I’d like to hope that every passing moment that will come will be something worth celebrating for.”

There was the beat of silence before Tony spoke again. “Why did you cry? Did you cry because of me?”

“Because you scared me!”

“Now you already know what it felt like for me when you’re out there donning that red and blue spandex.”

Peter was silent. He couldn’t argue with that.

He spoke after a beat. “So, uh, we’re even now, Mr. Stark?”

And all Mr. Stark could respond was a peal of hearty laughter as he threw his head back.

Peter smiled.

_Yes, it’s going to be alright now._

  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> title inspired by a Filipino indie band ben&ben
> 
> [my tumblr](https://karenninaaa.tumblr.com/) yell at my stupor state  
> [Buy me a coffee?](https://ko-fi.com/karenninaaa) if you're feeling generous, I would be forever thankful for it.


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